Or you could have a combination of both. I'm currently in high school. I live in a small town's school district but commute into a fairly large city to school (about a 35 minute drive). This gives me both access to nature (where I live) and the opportunities/resources of a city (where my friends live). While it may not be for everyone, I wouldn't want to have it another way. What I can also tell you is that significantly more people die at the small town school than in the city (almost all are vehicle-related deaths).